Common name : saltmarsh snails or ear snails

Aspect : small (a few millimeters to about 2 cm), conical, oval, or elongated, with a tightly coiled spire; shape can vary from high-spired to more globose; narrow aperture, often with a thickened or reflected lip, and may have internal teeth or folds; shells surface are usually smooth or faintly striated, with a thin periostracum (organic outer layer) that may be glossy or dull; most species have a calcareous operculum; colors range from white, brown, to dark gray

Feeding : detritivores and microphagous herbivores (decaying plant matter, algae, fungi, and microbial films on mud or wood, diatoms and cyanobacteria)

Environment : Indo-Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean saltmarshes in tropical and warm-temperate coasts; above mean high water; rarely submerged, but tolerate brief flooding (salt marshes, mangrove swamps, mudflats and coastal woodlands near the sea)